An Unknown Defensive Line In Baltimore, Looking To Become More Known In 2019.

My series covering every NFL team continues with this one taking a look the Baltimore Ravens. Each team will be broken down into three articles, defensive line, linebackers, and secondary. In each article i’ll be identifying a couple of players that I would consider adding or trading for ahead of the 2019 season. Also included, will be my recommendations on what it might take to acquire each of these players.

Coming out of the University of Michigan, Willie Henry was widely unknown, even though he played in a power five conference. The Baltimore Ravens selected Henry in the 4th round with the 34th pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. Upon entering the NFL, he received high marks, from the NFL Combine, for his ability to rush the passer using his strength and athleticism. With that said, Willie Henry, now 24, hasn’t seen much playing time during his first three years in the league. He saw his most action in 2017, where he produced 24 solo tackles, three and a half sacks, and five pass deflections during 14 games.

Henry and the Ravens were looking forward to 2018 and seeing how much more productive he could be, during a 16 game season. Unfortunately, Henry only played in 3 games during 2018, due to recovering from sports-hernia surgery and later sustaining a back injury that ended his season. In his limited action, he did log 82 snaps while recording two solo tackles and one sack. As you can see, his ability to be productive, when healthy is key to gaining the trust of IDP owners, but one team who still trusts him, in my opinion, is the Baltimore Ravens.

Fantasy Recommendation:

I think if Henry can crack the 53-man roster in 2019, then he will have an excellent chance to be a 16 game starter along that defensive line. I could see him being an excellent depth guy and a buy low for IDP owners next season and he is someone that you can get off your wavier wire due to his injury plagued season in 2018. If you have to trade for him he shouldn’t cost you more then a late round draft pick.

The Baltimore Ravens do have a need at defensive end, and they could very well decide to address it in this years draft, but here is an in house name to keep in mind. Zach Sieler, 23, was drafted with the 20th pick in the 7th round of this this past years draft, out of Ferris State. The Baltimore Ravens view Sieler much like they viewed current Ravens defensive lineman Brandon Williams, having the ability to dominate the small school talent and the ability to be a starter in the NFL. I think he’s a name to keep your eye on and if he can be something similar to Williams then IDP owners will be excited at the return on investment.

Fantasy Recommendation:

Due to only having played sparingly in 2018, Sieler should be someone that you can add to your watch list or add off of your wavier wire as a nice depth piece with the opportunity for more consistent production. Of course, this all depends on what the Baltimore Ravens do in free agency and in the upcoming draft.

Conclusion

As you can see there is a lot of in house talent that the Baltimore Ravens can tab for bigger roles in 2019. I am confident that at least one of these players will become an NFL starter next season. Hopefully, you find these recommendations helpful in your quest to build that championship roster for 2019. Please keep an eye out for part two of this three part series on the Baltimore Ravens.